Recipes Gone Wild: Kate Coats’ Toad In the Hole, Brit-Style

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and perhaps you’re looking for something fun and brunchy to make for that special lady in your life. Waffles topped with caramelized bananas? That’s been done. And she already knows you can poach an egg. So how about Toad in the Hole! No, no, no… I am NOT talking about one of those predictable (but tasty none-the-less) pieces of toast with an egg-filled hole in the middle. The recipe I’m in fact referring to is the BRITISH version, which is essentially a family-sized Yorkshire pudding topped with little breakfast sausages. And if you really want to say I love you with breakfast, top that toad with onion gravy and add a side of beans. It’s quite simple, really , I say with an unconvincing British accent. This week I went to Kate Coats, lovely Brit and mother of the ridiculously entertaining Avery and Oliver, to find out what her brood’s been eating these days. Thank god the word “nuggets” was not uttered. With a smile, she answered that Avery’s favorite dish is Toad in the Hole. Says Kate, “Avery normally makes the batter for me. It’s his favorite meal to make AND to eat. Plus we pretend that it’s real toads that we’re eating.“ You know what? Eatin’ toads with some cool kids sounds pretty fun. So grab your whisks, you Yankees, and ready yourself for a British breakfast invasion.

Kate Coats’ Toad in the Hole, Brit-StyleServes a hungry family of 4

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
3 eggs (beaten up really good, toddlers are ideal for this job, fyi)
1 tsp melted butter (cooled off a bit)
Pinch of salt and pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
4 or 5 sausages, veggie or pork depending on your preference (basically however many people are going to eat…and usually an extra one
Vegetable oil to line the dish

Directions:
Whisk up the flour, milk, eggs, butter, salt and pepper and nutmeg until smooth. Set aside and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
Line a deep baking dish with the vegetable oil, being pretty generous. I use a paper towel for this.
Turn your oven to 450° F and pop the dish in to warm with the stove. When it is hot, carefully slide the sausages into the pan and shake. Let them sizzle and brown for a few minutes, shaking them to turn. Try and space them evenly in the dish and pour the flour mixture over them. Reduce the temp to 425° F and bake for 30 minutes, until it’s golden!

Cook’s Note: We serve this with baked beans and/or onion gravy. Also a side salad if you’re feeling healthy. Yum.

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Yum, indeed! Thanks so much to Kate, Avery, and Oliver for sharing their favorite breakfast recipe with us!

HEYS COOKS! Do you have a recipe you’d like to share on greenpointers.com? Then send it over, and I’ll test it for maximum deliciousness and postability. libby.vanderploeg@gmail.com

About Libby V

Libby VanderPloeg lives and makes work in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She grew up in Michigan on the edge of the Great Lakes dunes, and has lived in Chicago, New York, and Stockholm. Her work comes out of her deep affinity for storytelling, music, letterforms, printed ephemera, and wildlife. None of these works could have been made without the world's finest brioche and several good, strong cups of coffee.